Tour Statistics
Though the summer tour season is in full swing, many stints started long before and will continue on through the end of the year, so fittingly, Pollstar takes a look at the numbers multiple times a year. Released on July 12, its mid-year report of the top 100 North American and Worldwide tours for 2013 revealed some rather interesting stats, showcasing once again that age is simply just a number.
Examining an artist’s gross in millions from Jan. 1-June 30, both lists were fairly heavy with the so-called “aging rockers.” For North American tours, three of the top 5, including the top-grossing Rolling Stones (87.7), No. 3 Fleetwood Mac (58.1), and No. 4 Bon Jovi (56.7) were established well before the list’s No. 2, Taylor Swift (58.5), was even born. Country veteran Kenny Chesney rounded things out at No. 5 (49.1), while the rest of the top 10 had a few other surprises.
Though George Strait at No. 6 (42.6), Pink at No. 7 (28.3), and Maroon 5 at No. 8 (28.2) were likely expected due to their highly successful tours earlier in the year, the final two spots in the top 10 went to Cirque du Soleil Totem (27.7) and Cirque du Soleil Amaluna (26.0), respectively. For a list typically littered solely with musicians, this certainly showcases the everlasting staying power of the Cirque brand.
Teen heartthrobs perhaps performed slightly lower than expected, though many more shows still remain for the second half of the year. Currently, the 17th-ranked New Kids on the Block (19.6) hold a slight edge over One Direction (16.0) in 23rd, though both are behind Justin Bieber, who checked in at No. 15 (20.5).
Comedians also found their way onto the list, with famed ventriloquist Jeff Dunham leading the way at No. 36 (12.2), followed by Louis C.K. at No. 80 (3.7).
Worldwide figures displayed a similar trend as North America with Bon Jovi (142.1), Bruce Springsteen (103.9), and the Rolling Stones (87.7) owned the top three spots for international sales. Cirque also has had a strong showing overseas, with its Michael Jackson: The Immortal production garnering the fourth spot (79.6), while the rest of the top 10 was comprised of Justin Bieber (69.9), Pink (61.1), Depeche Mode (60.9), Taylor Swift (58.5), Fleetwood Mac (58.1), and Beyoncé (55.6.)